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Blade was impressed. Tiger’s motions were fluid and graceful, his strength incredible. The Shark leader sailed up over the end of the beam, his body doubling in half, his feet alighting on the narrow beam as he straightened.

Some of the Sharks cheered.

Blade leaned toward Rikki and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I hate to sound like a sore loser, but if this madman should win, would you do me a favor?”

“Anything,” Rikki promised.

“Kill him,” Blade stated.

“Will you two quit arguing over which one is going to do this!” Tiger impatiently called out. “Blade, tell your little friend he can have his chance after I dispose of you, if he wants.”

Rikki smiled at Blade, then looked at Tiger. “Glad to!” he responded.

Blade nodded at Rikki, then faced the balance beam. His stomach muscles tightened as he moved to the beam. There was scarcely room to place his boots between the spikes, and he couldn’t help but notice their razor points.

“Don’t take all day!” Tiger taunted the Warrior.

Blade reached the near end of the balance beam. He rested his Bowies on top, then emulated Tiger’s example by stripping off his boots and black socks.

Tiger folded his arms across his chest.

Blade gripped the Bowies, carefully rested his wrists on the top of the beam, then bent his knees and vaulted upward. He nearly missed. His buttocks came down on the very edge of the beam, and he would have toppled backwards onto the spikes were it not for the pressure of his wrists against the beam. He righted himself with a supreme effort.

Tiger laughed. “Inferior genes at work!”

Blade ignored the barb. He slowly brought his feet onto the beam, then, with his arms held out from his body to increase his balance, he stood.

“Bravo!” Tiger cried, clapping with the daggers in his hands. “Bravo!”

Blade gazed down at the spikes. There seemed to be a sea of them forming a wide circle around and under the beam. He hadn’t realized there were so many! One slip would be fatal!

“Shall we dance?” Tiger said to the Warrior.

“I’m not here to dance!” Blade snapped.

“Pity.” Tiger took a casual step forward and performed a remarkable maneuver. He leaped into the air, a good two feet above the beam, executed a 360-degree turn, and landed lightly on his feet, grinning.

Blade’s astonishment showed.

Tiger strolled toward the center of the beam. “Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll meet you halfway. If you can make it.” He walked to the middle and halted.

Blade shuffled toward the center. His feet felt slippery and he wobbled as he moved.

Rikki was watching with worry in his eyes.

Fabiana sidled next to the man in black.

Gar edged closer to the balance beam, his finger on the trigger of his shotgun.

The Sharks were vociferously encouraging their leader.

Blade took all of this in out of the corner of his eyes. He concentrated on maintaining his balance as he neared Tiger.

The Shark leader was waiting with an amused expression.

Blade stopped when he was three feet away. He held the Bowies in front of him.

“Finally,” Tiger said sarcastically. “I was beginning to believe you might have become lost!” He cackled.

“Do you fight with your daggers or your mouth?” Blade retorted.

Tiger scowled and crouched.

Just as a commotion erupted at the entrance to the chamber. There was a lot of yelling and shoving.

A lean, bedraggled figure burst through the crowd and raced toward the beam. He halted, inhaling deeply, out of breath from his strenuous exertion.

Tiger straightened. “Collins! What are you doing back? I sent you to investigate that fire.”

“We did!” Collins mumbled, having difficulty in speaking. “We’re under attack!”

“What? By the Brethren?”

“No,” Collins said, doubling over.

“Look at me, you fool!” Tiger roared.

Collins unfolded with a grunt. Sweat caked his face.

“If it’s not the Brethren, then who?” Tiger inquired angrily.

“Don’t know,” Collins replied breathily.

“How many are there?” Tiger questioned urgently.

“One,” Collins said.

Tiger’s slanted blue eyes narrowed. “One? Did you say one?”

Collins nodded.

“How dare you! You violate the sanctity of the contest because of one man!”

“You don’t understand!” Collins exclaimed. “We can’t stop him!”

“Tell me everything!” Tiger commanded.

“We went to north Seattle,” Collins detailed. “And we found the cause of the fire. Someone had piled paper and a lot of other flammable junk in the street, then lit it. That’s when we saw him.”

“Who?” Tiger queried.

“The big guy in the dark blue clothes,” Collins said. “He came out of an alley and told us to take him to our leader.”

“You refused?”

“Yeah. He said he was looking for his friends, and he suspected we knew where they were,” Collins detailed.

“What happened then?” Tiger inquired.

“I told him he was coming with us and to drop his weapons,” Collins answered.

“And?”

“He refused,” Collins said. “We tried to take him! We did! But he killed all the others!”

Tiger’s eyes widened. “I sent fifteen Sharks with you. He killed them all?”

Collins nodded, looking as if he wanted to cry.

“How is it you are alive?” Tiger asked.

“He… he stuck his machine gun to my head and made me bring him here!” Collins declared. “I didn’t want to do it! Honest!”

Tiger’s jaw muscles twitched. “If I wasn’t on this beam…” He glanced toward the doorway. “Where is this man in blue now?”

“Outside. Can’t you hear it?”

Tiger raised his head.

Man in blue? There was only one man in Seattle answering that description. Blade cocked his head, listening. From the distance arose the faint chatter of automatic gunfire.

“The guards tried to stop him from entering,” Collins went on. “He blew them away. Reinforcements showed up, but I don’t know how long we’ll be able to hold him! I got away when he was fighting the others.”

“This is only one guy!” Tiger remarked.

“You haven’t seen him!” Collins responded. “He’s not human! He just wades into us like we don’t even exist! He’s not afraid of anything! And he’s even taking guns from those he kills and using them against us!”

“Calm down!” Tiger directed. “I’m certain you are exaggerating to cover your miserable failure.”

“I’m not lying!” Collins cried.

“Then show your mettle! Take twenty others with you and stop this bastard!” Tiger instructed.

“Can’t I take more than twenty?” Collins asked.

“Certainly not,” Tiger stated. “It’s bad enough the twenty you take will miss this contest. I don’t want to deprive the rest of the spectacle of my victory.”

Collins frowned. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He turned and hastened to the entrance, indicating Sharks with a jab of his finger. He departed with 20 armed men and women on his heels.

“The fool!” Tiger hissed. “The miserable cur! First Oakes and now Collins! Cowardice must be contagious.”

“You don’t believe him?” Blade asked.

Tiger snorted. “How stupid do you think I am? He probably fled back here at the first sign of your friend in blue, and your friend simply followed him. I will tend to this man in blue after I deal with you.”

“You’re lucky you’re dealing with me instead of him,” Blade said. “You wouldn’t last two seconds against him.”

Tiger sneered and crouched. He inched forward, his daggers extended.

Blade held his right Bowie next to his abdomen and his left out from his chest.